Block of flats on empty Worthing pub site turned down again

Back in 2018 Worthing Borough Council refused an application to demolish the Wheatsheaf in Richmond Road to make way for a three-storey building containing eight flats and commercial space on the ground floor.

Revised plans were submitted to the council, changing the design and layout as well as reducing the height of the building slightly and removing the commercial element.

But this latest application was also refused by the council’s planning committee late last month going against an officers’ recommendation to approve.

Susan Belton, chairman of the Worthing Society, argued the proposed building appeared ‘shoehorned’ between the council offices at Portland House and the town’s main library.

Although she acknowledged the plans had improved on earlier designs, the society still felt it still represented overdevelopment of a ‘compact’ site and would be more in favour of regenerating the existing building perhaps with dormer windows and a rear extension.

On the other side, agent for the scheme Alex Bateman, director at Mohsin Cooper, suggested the area had a need for housing in sustainable locations, while retention of the existing building would be ‘physically impossible’ given its current condition.

He also pointed towards the revisions made to the previous design

But members were not swayed by the argument in favour and unanimously rejected the application.

Paul High (Con, Heene), chairman of the planning committee, suggested the building’s design resembled something belonging in ‘inner Croydon’.

Jim Deen (Lab, Central) was not totally convinced about the marketing of the pub building, which has been empty since 2017, and felt the proposed development was ‘very cramped for this site’.

He added: “There are three two-bedroom flats, many of which will be occupied by families with children. It’s a very, very small area for that potential number of people.”

Martin McCabe (LDem, Tarring) proposed refusal arguing that the scheme still represented ‘overdevelopment’ of the site.

Cllr High added: “This proposed development is not suitable for this location, that is what we are saying.”